Ask “Bob’s Burgers” creator Loren Bouchard to name his go-to burger and his voice drops a notch.

“I have a guilty little secret,” he said recently. “I like pineapple on my burger. I like the combination of fruit and meat. I think people look down on it. Purists.”

The sweet-and-beefy combination serves as a nice metaphor for the Fox series, which started its fifth season Sunday. Unlike so many other cartoons, “Bob’s” has unabashed heart, the kind that makes you want to root for an underdog family trying to operate the most cursed restaurant in America.

And while it’s far from a ratings blockbuster, it continues to gain critical praise, culminating with an Emmy win in August as TV’s best animated show.

Bouchard, who got his start working on “Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist” and developed the short-lived series “Home Movies,” talked to us by phone from his office in Los Angeles.

QUESTION: Congrats on the Emmy win. What do you think it means?

ANSWER: I’m still trying to figure that out. It clearly means something. There’s a been a strong wave of congratulations that’s undeniable. It’s washing over us ever since that night.

QUESTION: Does it say that the show has gotten better or that people are just finally getting around to recognizing it?

ANSWER: You’re always trying to make better and better shows. We’ve made things tighter and punchier. But I think it’s natural, especially with comedy, to be resistant to new shows. I’m the same way. I don’t fault anyone. You just have to wear down people’s resistance, like a virus.

QUESTION: Are you personally encountering more fans?

ANSWER: I used to never meet anybody that watched the show. I didn’t mind that life. Now I meet fans all the time. I think repeats on Adult Swim and availability through Netflix and Hulu have helped us reach more people.

QUESTION: The CW has just ended its block of Saturday morning cartoons, which means that now there are no networks carrying on that tradition. Were you a fan growing up?

ANSWER: I did not know that. Yeah, I watched all the Saturday morning cartoons.

It’s funny, 30 years ago you watched what was on. There wasn’t a lot of choice. There’s a big difference now. My kids love cartoons, but they curate. I loved Bugs Bunny. I think it holds up. But there is a lot of stuff from that era I bet I wouldn’t want my kids to watch now.

You know, rewatching movies wasn’t an option back then, but my parents used to get us Disney records with music from “Jungle Book” and “Peter Pan.” I was listening to cartoons, which was really helpful. I love and respect the visual side of animation and never want to take them for granted, but for me, I’m always thinking of sound first.

QUESTION: You’ve had some great musical numbers over the years. How would you describe their sound?

ANSWER: Most of them have a childlike quality. We use a lot of ukuleles and Casios. We want the music to be pretty happy.

QUESTION: So much animation these days seems to come from a place of anger and sarcasm. Not your show. Are you sentimental by nature?

ANSWER: Yeah. I learned a lot from “Dr. Katz,” which was kind of a love story between a father and a son, really kind of digging through layers of sweetness. There wasn’t an Archie Bunker-type mentality. I also did a series called “Lucy: Daughter of the Devil” where, yeah, he’s the devil, but I imagined him as kind of a doting “Cosby” kind of dad.

QUESTION: You’ve had some big names such as Kevin Kline provide guest voices, but for the most part you don’t have major celebrities. Is that on purpose?

ANSWER: It is deliberate. We are averse to stunt casting. It’s totally uninteresting to us. I want the best people with the best voices, and the best way to do that is to ignore anyone’s fame.

QUESTION: Do you have any interest in someday doing live-action comedy?

ANSWER: I’m dazzled by certain shows and films and see how it could be fantastic. But it’s hard. I mean, it took me 20-some years to get to this point in animation, and I’m still trying to figure it out. I wouldn’t want to do it unless I can fail in a safe way.

QUESTION: “The Simpsons” just started its 26th season. Do you look at that and say, “Yeah, I’d like to be doing this show for that long”?

ANSWER: That particular number is rather extraordinary. I look at something closer to home, like “King of the Hill,” which ran for 11 seasons. Whatever the final number is, I’ll be happy.